The Plot
by Silver Sparklze
Summary: When Voldemort comes up with a plan to weed out the treacherous Death Eater; Severus is warned by the most unlikely candidate...ONESHOT!
1. Trailer

**Trailer:** A plot…to find a traitor…

A man…who stands to lose everything…

             The girl…who helps him…

  Severus Snape is caught up in a deadly game of cat and mouse…and he's the mouse.


	2. The Real Story

**Challenge 1: Harry Potter.**

**Genre:** angst-ish (feel free to add humour, but bear in mind that this is Snape.)

**Rating:** G - R

**Plot:** Severus Snape is caught in mental and emotional conflict, Voldemort has rigged a test, to see who it is that has been betraying him, he will kill a small muggle village, but tell each death-eater that it is a different village. He will then see where the aurors flock to. (or something vaguely similar) Severus discovers the plan, and then realizes that he is faced with a decision. Be found out, or let innocents die. He has to decide. (this can even be just his musings on the decision at hand, I want to see real insight into the mind of the potions master.)

**Challenge:** must include at least two of these items: a jeweled dagger, a length of string, and a creepy-looking cat. (not mrs. Norris, Crookshanks or McGonagall. ) (the items do not have to be used as they were meant to be, eg: the knife can be used as a letter opener, etc.)

**Length: **500 - 10,000 words.

**This challenge ends 31st October 2003 (yes, it's not much time. If people ask, I'll extend the date.)**

**Author's Note:** Ok, I just want everyone to know that although the only reason I wrote this fic was because my best friend, Pixie-Chan begged me to, AND I DON'T EXPECT TO WIN, COZ THE OTHER ENTRY WAS MUCH BETTER, PIX!!!! I really did enjoy writing it. And the first chapter in this is just the trailer, thought I'd try my hand at it. Did it make anyone wanna read the story? *Looks eager.*

****

"Welcome," Voldemort said, smiling benignly at his Death Eaters. Severus couldn't help but snort at the thought of _Voldemort_ being benign. "I have an important announcement for you today. I have found the village where She is." There was a general mutter at this, and Severus felt a sense of dread. The poor, poor girl. If they found her, it would be the end of her do-gooding, and the end of her life as a free Sprite. She'd be like the rest of them, chained to their trees, or enslaved to Voldemort.

"I have decided to make it a little race…whoever can find Her the quickest, and translate their riddle the fastest, wins. The slowest…well…try not to be the slowest."

Wonderful. Voldemort's decided to take Lucius' advice and whittle out the stupid ones. Sometimes Malfoy is so brilliant I'd like to stab him with the stupid dagger he keeps hanging around his bloody neck. Voldemort however…since when is 'quickest' a good word to use in any sentence? Ah well, at least he didn't say 'fastest'. Then I'd have been rolling on the floor howling in laughter before you could say Mosmordre.

"Your riddle will be Owled to you. Good luck."

Oh please. As if he'd _ever_ wish any of them good luck. Now, what to do. Destroy a muggle village? Warn the Sprite that she'd better run? Or be the slowest, and die a painful death. Well, there went his scintillating plans of spending the night watching mold grow.

Severus walked quickly through the halls of Hogwarts, enjoying the way even the new first years shrank back with looks of fear on their faces. He counted a day wasted when he didn't see at least one new face blanche in terror. Speaking of blanching, there's that damned Blanche Magus. Stupid half muggle.  And a Slytherin too! Salazar would roll over in his grave.

"Miss Magus what are you doing out at this time of night? All normal first years should be in bed." Severus said sourly. **(Ooh alliteration!)**

"Well I'm not a normal first year, am I Sevvie-kins?" The damned impertinent brat said cheekily.

"10 points from…" Severus stopped. Damn the girl, she had him there! Any points taken from her would e taken from Slytherin, and aside from that, he _really_ didn't need his sister on his back at the moment.

"You were saying?" The little monster had the innocent dewy look down pat.

"Get to bed."

"Know what I heard?" The kid acted like she was five, not eleven, skipping alongside him like that.

"What? What did you hear?"

"I heard that Moldie-Voldie thinks one of his Death-Bangers is betraying him, so he's set a test to find out which one it is. He's given them all different muggle villages, and he's gonna see where the Aurors flock. Stupid guy. Wouldn't know intelligence if it bit him in the balls. Have to admit, it's an ok idea, though. Personally, I'd just kill of _all_ the Death-Bangers and get new ones. They're about as intelligent as bricks." Severus tried very hard to remember why he should _not_ strangle his niece.

"Oh? You think so?" He said tightly.

"Yup. 'Specially the three stooges, Malfoy Goyle and Crabbe. They couldn't kill someone right if their lives depended on it…which they do in this case." The chit looked thoughtful. "Must fly, the Restricted Section awaits. Ta, ta Sevvie-dearest." 

Severus continued on his way to his apartments, his mind working in overdrive. If what the little horror said was true, (and it undoubtedly was, the brazen spore was honest to a fault,) then this was all one big trap. Not only did he have to kill an innocent tree thingummy, he also had to annihilate the entire muggle village, and kill thousands (ok, more like hundreds, maybe not even that) of children. He _hated_ killing children. (Which was strange, since you'd think teaching would have made him more inclined to detesting the little fungi.)

"What to do?" He asked himself, rubbing his temples. He had to find out which village the foliage fiend was in, and fast.

Severus rummaged through his cabinets for the pain-numbing potion. He needed it – fast. One bad thing about being a spy for Voldemort was the stupid tattoo had been made specially so that if you thought about betraying him it would pain you terribly until you perished the thought.

"Looking for this, precious little Sevvie-kins?" Dammit, the little toadstool was back. And she was holding _HIS_ brain-numbing potion!!!

"Give me that." Severus growled, snatching it from her, and downing the whole thing in almost one gulp.

"That'll destroy your liver you know," The sassy imp said.

"What?"

"I've been doing some research, and that stuff is the Wizard's equivalent of muggle methylated spirits and turpentine. They use it to strip paint."

"Who cares? It gets rid of the pain."

"Ever thought of taking a Tylenol? They're really quite good."

"Shut up you insolent weed."

"Ooh, I'm a weed now. I thought I was a mongrel. Make up your mind. Surely I'm not both. Not only is that not humanely possible, it's gross." The audacious snit wrinkled her nose.

"It's not _probable_, Miss Magus. It could happen." Severus said, his mind pleasantly fuzzy after his poison intake. He moved one shelf down, and picked up the coconut milk based concoction that would get rid of the bad effects of the painkiller. He drank that a bit slower, keeping in mind that it tasted like baby cough-mixture.

"Whatever."

"Miss Magus, do you remember when you were young, being saved by Sage?"

"Yes, I remember. She told me that if I ever needed her, I'd know what to do."

"Blanche," Severus was surprised at the urgency in his voice, "I need your help. Tell me where I can find her. She's in danger."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Blanche asked, her dark eyes narrowed. For a moment, Severus was reminded of a stray cat that had warmed him one wintry night after receiving the Cruciatus Curse off Voldemort. The cats name had been Aries, if he remembered correctly.

"Blanche…you're just going to have to trust me." Severus said, feeling very uncomfortable.

"Well…ok…." She stood up on her tiptoes, and whispered something in his ear. Eyes wide, Severus ran off. "Good luck, Uncle Severus." She whispered, playing with the leather cord strung on her neck.


End file.
